Several Pittsburg State University students are trying to help end a horrible war in Africa.
They are associated with Invisible Children, Inc., a San Diego-based non-profit organization. A team from the group will be at PSU today for screenings of its latest documentary, “Together We’re Free,” at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in room 109, Grubbs Hall. The screenings are open free to the community, and snacks will be served. Team members will also answer questions and distribute a petition calling on President Barack Obama to lead an international effort to stop rebel leader Joseph Kony, the prime mover of the war.
William Payne, PSU senior communication major from Overland Park, has become deeply involved with Invisible Children.
He explained that the war, between the government of Uganda and a rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army, has been going on for 23 years.
“It’s the longest -running war in Africa,” Payne said. “More recently, the conflict has spread from Uganda to Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as Joseph Kony has been fleeing from peace talks.”
Invisible Children takes its name from the children that Kony has abducted.
“Some of the children are 10 or younger,” Payne said. “The boys are forced to be LRA soldiers. Girls are also abducted to be sex slaves.”
It’s estimated that around 30,000 children have been abducted.
“About 90 percent of the Lord’s Resistance Army is made up of abducted children,” Payne said.
Ironically, Kony’s goal has been to establish a theocratic government in Uganda, and he claims to be using the Bible and Ten Commandments as his guide.
“He tries to make himself almost a messianic figure, and rules by fear,” Payne said.
Invisible Children was started by three young men from southern California who visited Uganda in 2003.
“They heard horrible stories about the war,” Payne said. ”When they came back, they made a film and started a corporation.”
Invisible Children has been trying to motivate high school and college students to get involved through activities such as rescue events. Last spring two dozen PSU students, including Payne, took part in a rescue event at Kansas City, Mo.
“Participants symbolically abduct themselves to represent the child soldiers,” Payne said. “We walked about 2 1/2 miles from the J.C. Nichols Fountain on the Plaza to Penn Valley Park near the Liberty Memorial. Then we waited to be rescued, and while we waited, we wrote letters to legislators and other people about the issue.”
Weather was challenging for the “captives.”
“At one point there were tornado sirens going off and we had to be evacuated to a nearby parking garage,” Payne said. “In the early morning it started to rain. I don’t know how much sleep I got that night, but it was totally worth it.”
Rescues were accomplished either media members or civic or cultural leaders. For example, Oprah Winfrey rescued a group in Chicago. Payne and his group were rescued by “Switchfoot,” a San Diego band that was playing a concert at Worlds of Fun. This had a special meaning for Payne.
“It was through ‘Switchfoot’ and another band that I found out about Invisible Children,” he said.
Payne and several other PSU students also went to the “How It Ends” Lobby Days event in June at Washington, D.C.
“We were lobbying for the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009,” Payne said. “We primarily lobbied for our congressmen and women to sign on as co-sponsors of the bill. It has two main components. First is to aid in the recovery of northern Uganda and the abducted children, and the other is to address development of a plan to apprehend Joseph Kony.”
Invisible Children, and others as well, feel that this is the only way to bring about an end to the war.
“To its credit, the George W. Bush administration supported peace talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA, and they did come to an agreement,” Payne said. “A ceasefire was scheduled. The only thing left was for Joseph Kony to come out of hiding and sign the agreement. He did not. It has become clear that he’s not interested in peace, so he has to be removed from the picture. Once he has been apprehended, the war will end.”
He and the others from PSU met with U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, who was already a co-sponsor of the bill.
“Invisible Children filmed this meeting, and some small clips of it are on their web site,” Payne said.
They also met with a staffer in Sen. Pat Roberts’ office.
“He had not signed as a co-sponsor before, but he is now,” Payne said.
They visited Rep. Dennis Moore and persuaded him to sign on.
“He ended up playing a song for us on his guitar,” Payne said.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins has not yet signed, but Payne hopes she can be persuaded to do so.
He stressed that the aim is to have the United States provide logistical support for efforts to apprehend Kony and bring him to justice for his crimes.
“We’re not talking about sending American troops after him,” Payne said. “Invisible Children does not want to involve this country in a third war.”
Those attending the screenings today will have an opportunity to sign arrest warrants, with the hope of getting 5,000 signatures to be delivered to the White House by Dec. 15.
The screenings will also kick off a book drive, according to Tracy Fienen, who is spearheading the drive.
“Invisible Children partners with Better World Books, an organization that sells books online,” she said. “We especially want college level books that have been published within the last 10 years. These books will be shipped directly to Uganda for use in schools there. Books that aren’t suitable for that will be sold by Better World Books and the proceeds will go to benefit the Schools for Schools program, in which U.S. schools help schools in Uganda.”
Fienen said that the book drive will continue through the end of the year.
“We’ll have collection bins around campus for those who want to donate books, or have texts that they don’t want and can’t sell back,” she said.
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Several Pittsburg State University students are trying to help end a horrible war in Africa.
They are associated with Invisible Children, Inc., a San Diego-based non-profit organization. A team from the group will be at PSU today for screenings of its latest documentary, “Together We’re Free,” at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in room 109, Grubbs Hall. The screenings are open free to the community, and snacks will be served. Team members will also answer questions and distribute a petition calling on President Barack Obama to lead an international effort to stop rebel leader Joseph Kony, the prime mover of the war.
William Payne, PSU senior communication major from Overland Park, has become deeply involved with Invisible Children.
He explained that the war, between the government of Uganda and a rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army, has been going on for 23 years.
“It’s the longest -running war in Africa,” Payne said. “More recently, the conflict has spread from Uganda to Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as Joseph Kony has been fleeing from peace talks.”
Invisible Children takes its name from the children that Kony has abducted.
“Some of the children are 10 or younger,” Payne said. “The boys are forced to be LRA soldiers. Girls are also abducted to be sex slaves.”
It’s estimated that around 30,000 children have been abducted.
“About 90 percent of the Lord’s Resistance Army is made up of abducted children,” Payne said.
Ironically, Kony’s goal has been to establish a theocratic government in Uganda, and he claims to be using the Bible and Ten Commandments as his guide.
“He tries to make himself almost a messianic figure, and rules by fear,” Payne said.
Invisible Children was started by three young men from southern California who visited Uganda in 2003.
“They heard horrible stories about the war,” Payne said. ”When they came back, they made a film and started a corporation.”
Invisible Children has been trying to motivate high school and college students to get involved through activities such as rescue events. Last spring two dozen PSU students, including Payne, took part in a rescue event at Kansas City, Mo.
“Participants symbolically abduct themselves to represent the child soldiers,” Payne said. “We walked about 2 1/2 miles from the J.C. Nichols Fountain on the Plaza to Penn Valley Park near the Liberty Memorial. Then we waited to be rescued, and while we waited, we wrote letters to legislators and other people about the issue.”
Weather was challenging for the “captives.”
“At one point there were tornado sirens going off and we had to be evacuated to a nearby parking garage,” Payne said. “In the early morning it started to rain. I don’t know how much sleep I got that night, but it was totally worth it.”
Rescues were accomplished either media members or civic or cultural leaders. For example, Oprah Winfrey rescued a group in Chicago. Payne and his group were rescued by “Switchfoot,” a San Diego band that was playing a concert at Worlds of Fun. This had a special meaning for Payne.
“It was through ‘Switchfoot’ and another band that I found out about Invisible Children,” he said.
Payne and several other PSU students also went to the “How It Ends” Lobby Days event in June at Washington, D.C.
“We were lobbying for the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009,” Payne said. “We primarily lobbied for our congressmen and women to sign on as co-sponsors of the bill. It has two main components. First is to aid in the recovery of northern Uganda and the abducted children, and the other is to address development of a plan to apprehend Joseph Kony.”
Invisible Children, and others as well, feel that this is the only way to bring about an end to the war.
“To its credit, the George W. Bush administration supported peace talks between the Ugandan government and the LRA, and they did come to an agreement,” Payne said. “A ceasefire was scheduled. The only thing left was for Joseph Kony to come out of hiding and sign the agreement. He did not. It has become clear that he’s not interested in peace, so he has to be removed from the picture. Once he has been apprehended, the war will end.”
He and the others from PSU met with U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, who was already a co-sponsor of the bill.
“Invisible Children filmed this meeting, and some small clips of it are on their web site,” Payne said.
They also met with a staffer in Sen. Pat Roberts’ office.
“He had not signed as a co-sponsor before, but he is now,” Payne said.
They visited Rep. Dennis Moore and persuaded him to sign on.
“He ended up playing a song for us on his guitar,” Payne said.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins has not yet signed, but Payne hopes she can be persuaded to do so.
He stressed that the aim is to have the United States provide logistical support for efforts to apprehend Kony and bring him to justice for his crimes.
“We’re not talking about sending American troops after him,” Payne said. “Invisible Children does not want to involve this country in a third war.”
Those attending the screenings today will have an opportunity to sign arrest warrants, with the hope of getting 5,000 signatures to be delivered to the White House by Dec. 15.
The screenings will also kick off a book drive, according to Tracy Fienen, who is spearheading the drive.
“Invisible Children partners with Better World Books, an organization that sells books online,” she said. “We especially want college level books that have been published within the last 10 years. These books will be shipped directly to Uganda for use in schools there. Books that aren’t suitable for that will be sold by Better World Books and the proceeds will go to benefit the Schools for Schools program, in which U.S. schools help schools in Uganda.”
Fienen said that the book drive will continue through the end of the year.
“We’ll have collection bins around campus for those who want to donate books, or have texts that they don’t want and can’t sell back,” she said.
